Bicycle Tidbits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Nerd, A Nude and a Bike

A nerd was walking on campus one day when his friend, another nerd, rode up on an incredible shiny new bicycle. The first nerd was stunned and asked, "Where did you get such a nice bike?" The second nerd replied, "Well, yesterday I was walking home minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up to me on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, 'Take what you want!'"

The second nerd nodded approvingly, "Good choice. The clothes probably wouldn't have fit."

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This week's workouts have been going well. I have felt guilty about my missed biking session on Monday due to the field of a yard we had going on at our house that we finally decided to take care of!

So Wednesday despite the threat of showers I loaded the bike up with me when I left for the gym before work. At work, I mapped out a course that I felt I could squeeze in during my lunch hour. (It was a little long but we will keep that on the down low!) Around noon I strolled out to my car and hopped on the bicyle. It was a rather humid and still sunny ride with more stopping than I am accustomed to on my typical rides out in the boonies. Before long I learned I had mapped out a course with some decent sized hills in it. And I thought this lunch time exercise session might feel easier than my normal lunch time runs....wrong! It was challenging, yet in a good way! After a quick shower, it was back to work.

At 5, I changed and rushed out the door for one of the bicycle training sessions put on by New Vision hosted by Pete Gladden. This session was held down in the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley. Each week they conduct different workouts including hill repeats, time trial or sprints. I was not real sure what I was getting into but I figured some new perspective could help on some bicycling techniques.

As I pulled into the parking lot I was happy to finally meet Qcmier . He introduced me to some other club members out there. There was a group of about 25 people who showed up even with the clouds rolling in. It was still humid. We started off with a warm-up loop and then proceeded up the road for one mile all out sprints with timed heart recovery periods. So we line up at a cone and every 10 seconds one person takes off to go as hard as they could to the 1 mile mark. I think we did this 6 times. My times were (missed the first one), 3:20, 3:22, 3:26, 3:17, 3:15. So definitely room for improvement but that at least gave me a point of reference to start from. It was a bit challenging to just take off, clip in right away, and get going strong fast. My legs got a good burn each time and I really enjoyed doing a workout in this group format. After the session I did a cool down loop with another rider who was also enjoying his first Wednesday workout. By this time it had started to rain rather steadily on us, but I must admit at that point it actually felt good. Definitely plan to attend more of these sessions!!

Another good workout day...followed up by pizza (good thing I worked so hard burning off calories)! I was so exhausted and hungry driving home I just wanted no part of cooking!

Saturday's Duathlon Update

(Pic from first Club Du)

Saturday morning before the du, I awoke before my alarm clock as the gorgeous sunshine peered in through the window. I let the dog outside and realized that it is pretty darn cold outside as I could see my breath. To self, "Why in the world did I think I would be wearing shorts?" Darn Northeast Ohio 30 degree temperature changes in the spring. So after some thought I decided on bike shorts & tri tank top over full under armor, and my wicking coat. I went with my under armor running gloves and my dirt bike gloves (now my bicycle gloves!) and two pairs of socks. If you recall, I am just not at all into being cold!

Ate my normal maple syrup and brown sugar oatmeal packet, loaded up the car with all my stuff and made it out to the area with plenty of time to spare. As I set up my transition area, I was still a little unsure of my attire and if I would be too hot, but figured I would rather wear a little extra as that is a long time to be on the bike and be cold. It was somewhere around 45 degrees outside by about this time.

Eighteen racers from the Cleveland tri club came out to participate in the event in which they were planning to hold a long (4M Run, 26M Bike, 4 M Run) and short course (2M Run, 13M Bike, 2M Run). Prior to the race I chatted with another new Cleveland Tri member named Betty and I was happy to hear she was also planning to do the long course du. As it turned out there were only three of us planning to do the long course, the two of us females and another guy, Dave.

With the start I was off on my run. As normal, excitement sets in a bit and I go out a little fast. The run course was a mile out on the towpath to the cone and back, twice for us long course folk. At the first mile turn I was in third overall. I ease off a bit as I remind myself that this is the longest race I have done in this format by quite a bit.

To self, "I am really hot and sweaty...this coat has got to go" A few people start to pass me between mile 1 and 2. At 2 mile checkpoint my time is 16:20. I try to keep in mind that they are heading to the bike after mile 2 and I still have another 2 before my bike.

"16:20? Darn, it felt faster, I hope this is not a bad sign". I make the turn for my second loop and enjoy seeing all the other racers heading back. I settle in for the third mile taking in some scenery and my second loop at the corner to head back to mile 4. Dave, the other guy doing the long course, passed me between miles 3 and 4. So at least I knew I was not alone even though the course had become much emptier the last half. 33:56 4 mile run split time. I felt very hot and was zipping my coat off as I reached the transition, not at all worried about being cold.
(After the race, I learned that they moved the cone after my 4 mile run. It had actually been out 1.25 miles instead of one…so now I don’t feel bad about my run time!)

The bike course was 4 loops, approximately 6.5 miles each. The transition was not super fast but not horrible and I was off on the bike, just behind Dave. He really took off. I saw him around the first turn and the second and then he disappeared in front of me. And then it was just me. I felt pretty good on my bike and used the hills as a chance to stretch out my back & neck and just kept pedaling. My boredom had already started on the run and it really started by the second lap of my bike. I really was missing my Ipod and so I just started singing my own little version of No Particular Place to Go, which went as so......

"Riding along on my bicycle
The demon inside me at the wheel
I stole a stretch at the turn of a mile
my little pedals spinning wild
singing and wishing I had a radio
with no particular place to go"

Wind seemed to be coming out of the Northwest pretty good and by the third lap it seemed as though it had really picked up. OK, another mistake I had was that I have never drank while on my bicycle before this du. I figured it being a long course that I would make sure I remembered something to drink since I would probably be thirsty today given the amount of time I was putting in. However, my new bottle of Propel with its sports cap would not let me get anything out of it. Crap, I give up as I put it away before I lose more time fighting with it. (Later I learned there is a tab you must pull first, whoops!)

I noticed between laps 3 and 4 that most of the other racers had already finished their short course and were leaving. Yet, I just kept going and really actually felt pretty good through all 26 miles. As I pulled into transition, I slowed to drink half a glass of Gatorade by Brooks, who had volunteered. And let me tell you that Gatorade tasted good as I was so thirsty!!!!!!!

Out for my last run and I don't feel as bad as the last short course du I completed. Maybe it was that slower transition or the Gatorade, but my legs were not quite as heavy even though I could tell they were tired. I was happy to see Dave at about a 1/2 mile in and wondered what lap he was on. I saw a couple other club members out on the trail who cheered me on...which really lifted my spirits! Heading back by mile 2, saw Dave again and then Betty and knew we were all almost done. I made the turn at the 2 mile point and went back out. I am still really missing my Ipod and think these people that I keep passing on the towpath must wonder what is up with this sweaty girl going in circles. I was tired but really did not feel too bad and even had a little left at the end for my finish. Total time 2:48. Finished 2nd of the 3 of us!

What I learned...
1. I can do it.
2. Test that liquids work before putting them on bicycle.
3. Still falling behind on the bike and want to train more on it, especially because I am enjoying it...perhaps start attending the club's Wednesday night bike sessions.
3. I am ready for next Sunday’s Silver Springs Duathlon in Stow (3 Mile Run-10 Mile Bike, 3 Mile Run)!!

Items pondering after race...
Many of the other people doing the short course used the power gels. Should I be taking in more on races of this distance? I felt fine and I did sweat a lot, but it was not hot. After the race I drank another glass of Gatorade and my entire Propel shortly after the finish.

Afterwards I celebrated Seis de Mayo with my old man with a jumbo Strawberry Daiquiri and Fajitas at Bachos Restaurant. Now that is one tasty reward. Then it was back to the real world of cleaning house....

P.S.-Skipped my 5 K race on Sunday as I just did not feel like being gone all morning at a race on the other side of town. My legs felt fine so I went for an 8 mile run by my place. Heck it was 5 miles more than I had planned on...I will get my Hermes Road Race points next time!

Stop the chafing!

This last week I have been ramping up my efforts. As much fun as this has been (and I mean it, I have really enjoyed it), this has led to all kinds of chafing.

Last year I did a half marathon one Sunday which went so well that I decided I would go ahead and do one the following Sunday. However I debated awhile due to the horrible chafing I had from my sports bra. One smart friend of mine introduced me to the wonderful product known as Body Glide. This stuff kicked butt. However like a dummy, I never think to put it on until I am already chafed!

So my chafing started on Sunday which I think was do my sweaty bike shorts during the run that followed the bike. I will just say I was quite uncomfortable.

Monday, I had the afternoon free and wanted to get in a long training session. Although I planned to bike, I had no intention of wearing bike shorts. I figured my butt could handle any pain more than I could handle further chafing. So I just wore some under armor shorts which worked out better yet I still had chafing in another area. Thankfully it was not that bad. What was bad was the chafing under my arm where my Ipod strap rubbed me a good one. What gives? I know I sweat a lot but this is getting ridiculous.

So tomorrow I am doing another duathlon "race" with the Cleveland Tri Club. If there is enough people the Club plans to run a long course and short course and I will attempt the long, which is 4 Mile Run, 26.2 Mile Bike, 4 Mile Run. As I have been somewhat concerned about potential chafing, I went out and bought a pair of tri shorts today! Woohoo! I am hoping the padding on these may not give me the trouble the thick padding did and give me a little padding at the same time! And just to be on the safe side, I am going to also apply some body glide in trouble spots...so hopefully I don't have any! So maybe between the new shorts and body glide I will be OK...maybe????

I hear some people don't wear underwear with bike shorts...what is the general consensus on this from more experienced folk? What about tri shorts?

I compete in the Hermes Road Race Series here in Northeast Ohio in which they take points accumulated from your best 7 of 15 designated races. One of them is Sunday, just a 5K. I debated a bit about whether or not to do the du on Saturday as it may tire my legs out too much to do well on Sunday. However, I figure if I skip Sunday's race, it is not a big deal and Saturday's du would probably be much more beneficial. So we'll play that one by ear depending on how I feel.

Meet OJ...not!

TriSaraTops made me laugh a while back when she referred to me as Olympic Janet or OJ in short. She was making a reference to Janet Beth Evans (born August 28, 1971), the record-breaking American competitive swimmer. My maiden name is Janet Sue Evans, which was quite the joke when I applied for a lifeguarding position at Geauga Lake and many people over the years have commented upon hearing my name.

However, the successful swimmer Janet Evans, I am not. While Janet Beth Evans broke the world records in the 400-, 800- and 1,500-meter freestyle events, this Janet Evans has struggled this year to simply swim and breathe while trying to keep my head in the water.

So today started like so...

Blaring alarm, snooze
Blaring alarm, snooze
Blaring alarm, snooze
Blaring alarm, snooze
Blaring alarm, "janet, you are already late, you better hurry up or you will not get any swimming in."

Gym arrival...........
To self, "must get some swimming in, so much for that hip workout you had planned..."

In locker room getting undressed.........
"CRAP, the work clothes are still hanging on the doorway at home...good thing I have some less than stellar looking clothes that I can get by in at the office, but your shoes are totally not going to match...oh well"

On my way back out to the car for backup clothes...
"This day is not starting off good"

I had been contemplating on what to do for today's workout. One tri I had been contemplating you were supposed to estimate your 400 time. OK to be honest I have not done 400 free (BTW, my swim terminology could be off) without at least one lap on my back because I get too winded generally. However today I decided I just had to know. So I pushed myself to get through all the laps with no back stroke. It actually went alright. After a short break repeated two more times. It was by far the fastest 1200 I have swam and all freestyle which was a first. Heck, this was a small accomplishment for me and I felt like the morning was redeemed.

So never will I be the swimmer the great Janet Evans was, but perhaps this Janet Evans now Edwards will continue to improve her swim....!

New discovery that has been right under my nose for years!

Lately my highlight has been new scenery. I have spent time planning out new routes and it rocks.

Another thing I am working on (after my great 10 mile trail run that felt short) is running on more forgiving surfaces. I have been plagued with recurring hip and knee pain which has (knock, knock) been on the downlow lately. And this week I have started ramping up some of my efforts but I have been running primarily on trails and in the grass. Subsequently my legs have been feeling amazingly good.

On Tuesday I climbed my butt out of bed to get to the pool and splashed through 1500 yards in my 15 yard pool. Yeah, that may not sound like a lot but it is 50 laps which seems like enough turning around for one morning. Not to mention, my less than stellar swimming technique!

Then on my lunch break I journeyed outside for a new loop from my office. As often as possible I ran the grass which worked out pretty well. This loop is definitely longer than my normal one and since when were these roads so hilly, I kept thinking. Total ran 4.5 miles on lunch and proceeded to rush off for my quick shower.

Quick walk jog with Matches in the evening. My husband's mom who breeds & shows golden retrievers said he needs to lose some weight. So now I will try to incorporate a mile or two of exercise for him daily as well. On a side note, Matches' mom was having puppies last night which was exciting to see!

Wednesday morning, totally mad at myself for skipping my morning workout as I was tired. I just feel sluggish all morning when I skip my early workouts. Lunch time run I decided to do the same course in reverse, thinking this way might feel like less uphill. No such luck. This direction felt much more tiring. However as I expended a ton of energy trying to get up what seemed like the never ending hill, something caught my eye.

Is that a track right there? Must go run over there and see if my eyes are tricking me. So I cross the four lane road and inspect. Holy crap, 6 years working in the same office location and all this time I have trained outside and never noticed this track less than a mile away. Well I suppose I always went the opposite direction, but still. This is awesome. Now I can incorporate some track work into my lunch time training...SWEET! So yeah, pretty excited about my new discovery.

Tonight I have a long biking session on the itinerary and my mile or two with Matches. I am attempting to spoil him a bit at the moment since he is getting a few less pats at the moment with little Zipo getting used to things.

Now it is three boys and me!

Guess who got the cutest anniversary gift ever?

If you haven't guessed...it is me!

Yes, now it is my man, my male golden retriever & my little cute male kitten.

Our golden retriever is named Matches...which came about as the idea of playing with Matches just seemed kind of funny. So in keeping with his name we name our new little kitten, Zippo. I am not sure yet who is more scared of each other, the cat or the dog.

Even after scheduling myself an extra day off, the weekend still flew by. The Cleveland Triathlon Club that I joined this year is running a 10 day virtual training camp where we are tracking our points which we accumulate on swims, bike rides, and runs. So this has been a good incentive to get outside and enjoy the weather while getting in some training.

Saturday left the house for a 15 mile loop from Parkman to Garrettsville. This was a scenic route and on two separate accounts I had to wait for deer to get out of the roads. I was also passed by the most gigantic piece of farm equipment which took up 3/4 of the road which was extremely intimidating. Sunday morning I met up with two other Clev Tri members and we did a 25 mile bike loop and a 4 mile run starting from the South Chagrin Reservation. It was my first time that I had trained out in that area and it is gorgeous. One of the best things about it was the amount of other people in the area riding and running...so at least all the local traffic is fairly used to sharing the road.

Monday afternoon I had planned a nice long afternoon workout. I started out at my gym in Garrrettsville, which is my familiar stomping ground from my elem, middle, & high school days. I ran 1.5 miles to a trail where they took the railroad out and I ran out another 3.5 miles which absolutely flew by! Then I turned around for a total of 10 miles. The trail is marked off with mileage, offers nice scenery, and the trail surface is so much better than the road. Once back to my car I grabbed a quick drink and was off on my bike. I had planned a 14 mile loop which would take me past my parent's house. The road surfaces were rather crappy the trip out to my parents and I thought my ankle was sure to be a goner to some growling dog that caught me off guard. I had attached mase to my bicycle bars in case of such a predicament (after my last dog incident about a month ago) but I am going to have to react a little quicker. At any rate, I pedaled hard a couple revolutions and the dog reversed course and I was relieved. I totally freiked out at snake in the road, even though I could tell it was already dead. I stopped at my folks for water and to give their dog some loving. It is so hard to start again after stopping. I decided to brave the traffic and take the main road back to Garrettsville, which worked out fine. It had a decent berm and a nice smooth surface. I thought about swimming and doing a total reverse tri, but I was pretty tired...so I called it a day!

A new milestone!

Wow, time sure flies when you're having fun! This weekend Joey and I celebrate our first anniversary! Sometimes I think it seems strange that we have only been married one year when it seems we have been together for so long.

One question I have been asked a lot is, "Does my husband run too?" I reply his standard answer, "Only if chased". It is not his thing, but that is OK with me. He shoots guns competively be it trap, silhoutte, etc. ...not my thing either, which is OK with him.

He is a night person and I am a morning person (which works so I can get the workouts in while he sleeps!)

We have our differences, but we are so much the same....

We ride motorcycles together...one thing that has become our thing.

We enjoy dining out together...probably too much so!

We are a lot alike in that we are both very laid back.

We both can appreciate a cold beer.

We both treasure our families and friends.

We are both looking forward to the rest of our lives together!

Weekend details are being worked out, but rest assured we will be spending some quality time together....and I think I will squeeze in a few early workouts :-)

Below are a few of our memorable moments together to commemorate this upcoming day!

Watching the ocean on the beach over dinner on the honeymoon!

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Honeymoon Ride!

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Whatcha going to do when wrestlemania runs wild on you?

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My Coors Light Guy!

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My favorite joke!

Agghh, taper week and I needed it after my busy weekend!

Sometimes when life seems too serious, I really enjoy a good joke. So today I share with you my favorite one for some twisted reason!

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Three men lost in the forest were captured by cannibals. The cannibal king told the prisoners that they could live if they passed a trial. The first step of the trial was to enter the forest and get ten pieces of the same kind of fruit. So, all three men went separate ways to gather fruits.

The first one came back and said to the king, “I brought ten apples.” The king then explained, “Next, you have to shove the fruits up your butt without so much as an expression on your face, or you’ll be eaten.” The first apple went in, but on the second he winced in pain, and was killed.

The second one arrived, and showed the king ten berries. When the king explained the trial to him he thought to himself that this should be easy.

1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…and on the ninth berry, he burst out in laughter, and was killed.

The first guy and the second guy met in heaven. The first one asked, “Why did you laugh? You almost got away with it!”

The second one replied, I couldn’t help it, I saw the third guy coming with pineapples.”

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Well it's paid for..........

Well it is official...after a 7 year hiatus, I will run another marathon, Columbus 2006!

I have been debating this for the last two months or so, and me being the bargain hunter that I am, figured I was just going to have to bite the bullet and commit to it before prices went up on 4/30. No backing out now, because I just can't stand to waste money!

So here is the history on my one and only completed marathon (Columbus 1998)....

Summer 1998
It was between my junior year and senior year of college. I was running about 5 or 6 miles 4 or 5 days per week. My college pal, Shannon came to visit me in Cleveland and we decided to go have lunch at Joe's Crab Shack. As we sat there drinking our tall bones of beer, there was a triathlon on the tv showing the marathon runners. Jokingly, I said "How about you and me run one of them marathons?" In my head, this was completely not an actual question just my random meaningless babble, yet she was on a totally on a different line of thinking. She replied, "Really, I have always wanted to do one!"

And that was how we decided to run the marathon, end of story. Funny what happens with a couple beers in ya!

So she went back to her hometown of Dayton to train and I continued to train over the summer back in Northeast Ohio. School came and we started to train together back on the roads of Oxford, Ohio and some surrounding communities. Back then, I trained routinely, yet training was often done sweating out the mass quantities of beer I was drinking the night before. Distance was all that mattered and time was not so much of a concern.

More to come on the actual race at another time....but to make a long story short, we both finished. Afterwards I remembered thinking that the training was so overwhelming and although I felt good the entire race, I did not want to put myself through the training again. I thought it took up too much time.

Funny how things change. Eight years later and I am ready to give it another go! I have every confidence that I will be able to smash the time from my younger years as I have learned how to train much more effectively. Additionally, I think it will help that I am not quite the boozer I was back in my college days.

I feel the half marathons are challenging for me to work to improve my time, but the distance is not the daunting distance I thought it was 2 years ago. It is time for another chapter in the running career! Ending unknown..........

Race Reports

Saturday was the big 10 miler. That morning, I skipped my regular pre-race breakfast as we ate so late on Friday night (more beer can chicken!) that I was still full. I did however wake up plenty early though so I grabbed a nice shower and sat down to make my 10 miler playlist for my Ipod. Then I headed downtown and parked at the first parking garage I came to.

I searched around for my pal Carol with no luck, but I did see Lou (who had such an impressive race at 6th place overall with a time of 1:01:10). I also ran into Earl, who is a friend of my folks and I went to school with his kids. He is an inspiration who is 57 and only been running a few years now. I thought he deserved major props as he was running the 10 miler on some sore legs after his 3:31 Boston Marathon finish on Monday!

So my goal I did not want to mention on Friday was that I hoped to finish within 80 minutes or an 8-mile pace. An 8 mile pace is one I can keep without too much discomfort for runs 6 miles or so long and I was hoping that perhaps I could maintain it for the entire 10.

It was a perfect morning for running, mid 50's with a light breeze, & extremely foggy. So here are the splits.

Mile 1 7:04 (A little fast for this race, better slow down I think)
Mile 2 7:18
Mile 3 7:54 ??? (not sure why I slowed here)
Mile 4 7:48
Mile 5 7.26 (a little downhill)
Mile 6 7.58 (water)
Mile 7 7.24
Mile 8 & 9 16.20 (I missed mile marker 8 on thought it was the longest mile ever...& then there was a hill that seemed never ending at this stage...my spirits picked up tremendously when I heard the race director saying mile 9 marker was just around the corner as I still was waiting for 8)
Mile 10 7:56 Not sure this is accurate as I just backed out my other splits from my finishing time.

The ending...I was so happy to come into the home stretch and see the board reading 1:17. I had picked up the pace when from out of no where 3 people passed me with 5 feet left. Even though I was happy about my time, I was upset about being passed at the end. If I had been paying more attention I would have pushed a little extra harder at the finish. Oh well, a 1:17:18 finish at a 7:44 / mile pace was way better than I even thought I could do.

There is no way last year (or any other years in the recent past) I would have ran that time. I finished 29th of 402 women and 8th of 90 women in my age group. So no actual award to speak of, but I did feel rewarded in knowing that I had beaten my goal and ran a good race. I felt tired at the end, but still wondered if I could have still pushed harder.

And that was to be it for the weekend..........until...thunderstorms Sunday morning woke me up and I could not fall back asleep. I kept trying and then the sun started shining in my window so I got up. My legs hurt a little as I walked around the house.

Heck I am up and I know there is another race right up the road, why not just go and leisurely do that one too??? So I changed and got in the car to drive to the 5 mile Maple Sap run in Chardon.

It was in the low 50's and probably about 200 people lined up at the start of the 5 miler. I chatted with a lady who I had seen several times on the 10 mile course the day before who was also running. Her legs were tired too! I figured this would definitely not be a 5 mile PR given my tired legs and the hilly nature of this course. But with the horn I was off again.

Mile 1 6:50 (lot of downhill)
Mile 2 7:29
Mile 3 7:49
Mile 4 8:10
Mile 5 8:15 (strong finish given the amount of uphill here)

Total time was 38:30...

This time one lady passed me with a half mile left. After Saturday, I was going to make sure no one passed me in the last part of the race. So with a quarter mile left I started my push towards the finish line and passed the two people who had recently passed me as I just had to do it! I crossed the finish line and took a bit to catch my breath.

Not bad for what I had planned to do as a leisurely run. It was good enough to get me 1st in my age group with a nice plaque! Official results have not been posted but I think I was the 7th overall female. So a full weekend of running...today I will take it easy and recover!!

Darn Goose!

10 Mile Race on tap for tomorrow. This is a distance I have never raced. Last year I had signed up for the Hermes 10 Miler, then ended up sick and was getting married the following weekend. I figured with the terrible weather that day, it would not be the wisest decision to run it. So skipped the race and got myself healthy for the wedding! I would say that was a good call!

So tomorrow I am not sure what to expect for a time. I have a target in my mind which I would be excited to beat so I will let ya know how that goes...it may be a little aggressive, but I think that is a good thing. I am just crossing my fingers for no rain during the race!

In preparation for tomorrow's events, I did some cross training today. Hit the gym this morning for a swim and some time on the stupid stationary bike (yup, even though I shoot to do all road bike riding yet this is often just more convenient).

Then on my lunch break, being the unexpectedly sunny day, I had to get outside! Since I did not want to run today with the race tomorrow, I changed and grabbed my rollerblades out of my office, and cruised down the stairs...

Sat down on the sidewalk and put on my skates...

Cranked the Ipod music ...and was off!

Skated up the little road by my office with my music blaring and took the turn on to the sidewalk.

Totally pysched about the weather and feeling good!

Completely immersed in rocking out while keeping my eyes down to ensure I did not skate over any goose poop which is all over that particular stretch of sidewalk.

AGHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Totally did not see that goose I scared to death which proceeded to scare me to death!!!!

It flew from the right side of the sidewalk to the left side just inches in front of my head and as I was trying to block my face I even felt feathers!!!!! That fat goose did not fly far as it landed just on the other side of me.

The goose and I exchanged a parting stare as I strolled on down the sidewalk before I turned around and tried to recompose myself.

"Silly Goose", I thought as I skated off!

Let's ride!

With every morning I get a little more excited about the earlier sunrise. The last three weeks or so I have cut back my days of hitting the gym in the morning in lieu of conducting my workouts from home outside. I still try to go 2-3 days a week to get in the swims which I definitely need to continue to work on.

I have been enjoying my morning runs outside so much that I thought perhaps today I would attempt my first pre-work bicycle ride. I was slightly nervous about it because it is still pretty dark out around 6ish when I leave. Although I can see good enough when I run, I was worried that while riding my bicycle, I might have trouble making sure I avoided any crap in the buggy lane. I did feel comfortable that between my reflective gear and being in the buggy lane it would be safe even without much light. This darkness did not last long on my morning ride, as the light came quickly while showing off yet another beautiful sunrise.

Happily I can report that I had no trouble seeing my way to maneuver and had no trouble at all and the road bike is way better than the stationary bicycle at the gym. I had to cut my workout a little short this morning since I needed to get to work early but I did manage to get in 13 miles. Even though I had slightly cold fingers and toes, this morning ride was a welcome change. My back did not really trouble me as I tried to switch positions periodically...but I am still dealing with some seat issues. I am working on my positioning...I'll get it figured out here eventually. Thanks for all the posts regarding feedback on the bicycling because I was thinking about the comments as I rode this morning and kept trying different things out. I will continue to experiment to see what is going to work!

After my morning ride and shower, I hopped on my other bike...my red Ducati monster and rode to work. Talk about a good way to start the day! Again a little chilly, but heck I should be getting used to a little chill at this point. Bring on summer!

Enjoying the gorgeous weather!!!

First off, I wanted to say thank you for all the kind get-well wishes. One of the most notable traits I have encountered in my tri training is the extremely supportive nature of all of the athletes. We are all so lucky to be among such caring people. My throat remains slightly off but nothing so bad that it is going to slow me down.

Last week, due to my sickness I cut back on the workouts a bit. It seems to have paid off as I had the opportunity to feel better and enjoy myself a bit as well.

My busy Friday I had planned got changed around since my husband ended up with the day off as well. So instead of my long workout and house work I had intended to accomplish, we ended up getting some house work and some shopping done. On our shopping trip, I re-purchased our patio table and umbrella that broke in a fall storm which I was excited to finally have again. I spent Friday evening putting the table together before enjoying our first beer can chicken of 2006....and it was sooooo good!

Saturday morning, I went to the Cleveland Triathlon Club's (CTC) Duathlon training race day out at the Towpath. It was a gorgeous morning and everytime I run on the towpath I enjoy the scenery and the crushed limestone surface so much. After some debate I decided to just wear shorts and a tank top which was actually warm enough for me surprisingly. The event was well-run (of course!) and there was about 20 of us that participated. My splits were 2 mile run (14:27), transition one and 13.2 mile bike (42:18), transition two and 2 mile run (16:07) for a total time of 1:12:52. Many thanks to the club and volunteers for such a great time!

Reflecting on my "race", I still could improve my transition times. Judging from my competitors' splits I lost ground on the bike. Prior to my race I only had 44 miles on my roadbike, so clearly I need to spend more time focusing on my bike. I know I have not exactly figured out where I should target as far as the gears and the cadence rate which is most effective for me. The second run felt somewhat painful (as expected) but it was not too bad and I managed to pass a couple people. I have decided that I enjoy these du's. I don't have to swim which is good for me. I wonder how I will feel if I do the long course which is double (4M run -26.2M bike -4M run). I know it would really challenge me and I think I will do it on 4/29. I figure it would be a good training session for the Olympic tri I plan to do in July.

Sunday morning based on Saturday's bike performance I mapped out a 20 mile country road loop to take my bicycle on. It was somewhat challenging with at least 4 substantial hills. This weekend was the first time I used my aerobars. I find that at this position, my back is a little sore and the seat is also causing me some (to put it mildly) pain in the frontal region. Maybe I should angle the seat down or try to move further forward on my seat, I am not sure??? I had a proper bike fitting, so I am not sure if this is something that may just take some getting used to or what. From this point on I am going to try to do all bike training on my real bike (no more stationary and recumbent bike training if possible) as I think that should be extremely helpful.

The remainder of the weekend, I continued to remain outdoors as we drove our motorcyles back out the Valley and Hinckley area for some twisty roads with gorgeous scenery and also grilled out and enjoyed the weather with family.

This morning, I ran 6.5 miles outside in the buggy lane as the sun rose. What a perfect way to start the week!

Guess it is my turn....

Well the husband was sick all weekend, and now it is my turn. I could feel the tightness in my throat when I woke up Sunday. Then after the duathlon I chalked up the tightness in my throat to breathing in so much cold air.

Monday, managed to run another 10 miles and my throat continued to feel sore yet still not too bad.

Tuesday morning...alarm blaring...snooze, not going to happen. I just could not bring myself to getting up. It hurt to yawn. My thoat was so sore and the glands are swollen. I did manage to feel somewhat normal on my lunch hour as I decided to give my legs a day off from running and strapped on my rollerblades for my lunchtime escape. First time out on them this year and it felt great! Just good fun! Had a busy night, a little more motorcycle riding and dinner at the husband's parents. Totally felt horrible about missing my bike and swim workout but figured I could make it up Wednesday.

Wedneday morning...alarm blaring..must go to bathroom and if possible my throat hurts worse. NOT COOL! Yeah, I think about starting my workout but I am ready to fall asleep on the toilet so back to bed for one more hour of sleep. So the guilt is kicking in. Two missed mornings in a row...that is a first in a long time. Feel like crap. I am off work Friday and I am hoping to feel better and get in a nice long workout that morning.....must feel better by then.

First Multi-Sport Race Update!

Well leading up to the big day Sunday, I had intended to rest up a bit on Saturday. No such luck. I decided since I had missed Friday's swim I would do that early on Saturday and since I was at the gym already, I figured I might as well take my favorite aerobics instructor's class since it had been so long. I just love her classes and realized that I may have to fit in just one a week because I really enjoy them. After leaving the gym I went home to work on our remodeling project upstairs. In trying to organize and move everything from half the upstairs to either the other half or primarily down to the basement, I was absolutely wore out after working on it for 7 hours.

I hit the hay totally spent Saturday night but had trouble sleeping. I was nervous. When I was able to sleep, I was having dreams (nightmares) all about tri's and being late and having problems and other random crazy things. I was tired when I woke up Sunday and my legs felt sore from working out and lifting so much stuff on Saturday. But I got out of bed and went through my normal race day routine. It felt warmer than it did the prior 2 Saturdays that I went out to Hinckley so I figured that at least I should be OK temperature-wise.

I was able to figure out the setup (which I had been nervous about) issue-free and headed off to the start line. I was happy to see Angie Ridgel, the Clev Tri Club VP at the start and chatted with her a bit. I noticed she had the same shoe string clips on her running shoes that I had purchased and so now I was happy to learn what I could not figure out the night before about how those things actually should go on. The first 5K I went out and felt pretty strong. I am thinking it took about 23 minutes and then I was a little slow in transition but hopped on my bike and was off for the 5 loops. I felt pretty good. I could not get into the big gears on my bike so I think I might have put my chain on wrong which I will have to check on. I passed a few guys, a lot of guys passed me and one girl passed me on the bike. I was so troubled by my runny nose and all I could think of was how happy I was going to be to blow it when I got off the bike.

Coming into the second transition, it was hard to get off my bike. My legs did not want to move. It took a lot of effort just to rack my bike. I blew my nose and was off for the last 5K. It hurt bad. I wanted to walk. I heard this happens a lot after biking and heard to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and I did. Slowly things started to feel better and I passed a guy, and another, and the girl that passed me on the bike, and a another girl. I felt tired but wanted to finish my first du strong. I crossed the finish line at 1:42:16. I was 1st out of three in my age group and 5th female over all. Not bad, I figure. It seemed like there were so many people at the starting line but after looking at the results page, I found it strange only 16 women did the du.

So all and all, a great experience and a good start to the day! I had to leave right afterwards as we had a huge family shindig yesterday to celebrate my grandma's 75th birthday, my grandpa's 80th birthday, and my aunt and uncle's 25th wedding anniversary...and that was a good time too!

What a mess!

That is kind of the general situation at the moment!

1) Have not caught up on laundry from the weekend since I went to Cinci to visit my college roomate, Kate! (That was a blast!)

2) Work...not even going there.

3) We'll say 'other' as a result of #2.

4) Husband decided to demo a wall and now we are embarking on remoldeling our upstairs of our century home with the goal of making the duplex-style of our 2 separate upstairs with 2 bedrooms on each half into one upstairs with a hallway that goes all the way across.

Thank goodness for some training which is my source of sanity at the moment. However fitting this in has become even more of a challenge. I typically go to the gym to work out in the mornings before work. However due to early appointments I have been trying to accomplish this at home the last couple of days.

So this week just feeling rather frazzled and trying to just roll with what comes next. On tap for the weekend is my first multisport event, the Hickley Duathlon. I am really looking forward to having Friday night and all day Saturday open for once to catch up on some stuff! And now time to return to all the work I should be doing at the moment..............

New pedal update...

Well this morning I decided was a good time to try out the new pedals and shoes. So I practiced clipping in and unclipping a couple times in the doorway and then outside for a reality check.

Mistake 1-Not trying to clip in while in the house not holding something as if I was actuallt about to go.

Mistake 2-Attempting this for the first time at the start of a hill.

Mistake 3-Making sure no one was around for my first try.

Yup, one foot in and before the other one could clip in to go, I need to be pedaling hard up the hill especially at the angle I had started on. I started leaning to the clipped in side and I was down before I started. Thunk!

Let me just brush off this dirt, hopefully no one saw this...crap, there's the neighbor and he probably already thinks I look silly with this helmet on.

Try 2-Let's reposition and start with no incline. And I was off. It was a short ride this morning about 11 miles up the buggy lane. It was crazy windy and I just could not seem to get comfortable down in the aerobar position with all the wind.

The road had a lot of cracks in it, it seemed. I was a bit concerned that they may be potentially bad for the bike. Any thoughts of how to know???? Clearly I tried to avoid them, but they were more like cracks in the road from water every 20 yards or so for a couple mile stretch--really annoying!

All in all, and OK ride. It was not quite the gorgeous run I had with the sunrise yesterday!

Anyway I must fly...Cincinnati bound!!!!!!

New pedal update...

Well this morning I decided was a good time to try out the new pedals and shoes. So I practiced clipping in and unclipping a couple times in the doorway and then outside for a reality check.

Mistake 1-Not trying to clip in while in the house not holding something as if I was actuallt about to go.

Mistake 2-Attempting this for the first time at the start of a hill.

Mistake 3-Making sure no one was around for my first try.

Yup, one foot in and before the other one could clip in to go, I need to be pedaling hard up the hill especially at the angle I had started on. I started leaning to the clipped in side and I was down before I started. Thunk!

Let me just brush off this dirt, hopefully no one saw this...crap, there's the neighbor and he probably already thinks I look silly with this helmet on.

Try 2-Let's reposition and start with no incline. And I was off. It was a short ride this morning about 11 miles up the buggy lane. It was crazy windy and I just could not seem to get comfortable down in the aerobar position with all the wind.

The road had a lot of cracks in it, it seemed. I was a bit concerned that they may be potentially bad for the bike. Any thoughts of how to know???? Clearly I tried to avoid them, but they were more like cracks in the road from water every 20 yards or so for a couple mile stretch--really annoying!

All in all, and OK ride. It was not quite the gorgeous run I had with the sunrise yesterday!

Anyway I must fly...Cincinnati bound!!!!!!

Miami Reflection

According to Miami student heritage, rubbing one of the turtle's heads will give you luck on your next exam....and I was sure to rub them everytime I walked by!

"In twelve days your days as Miami students will be at an end. Graduation exercises have been held. Your bags will be packed, your cars will be loaded, and you'll be starting out from the campus, from Oxford, to head home and then to whereever life's path may take you. I have a request to make of you. As you leave, take one last look at the green grass, at the red bricks, at the towers and the flowers, and keep the memory of Miami forever. Miami has been your college home. It'll be part of you the rest of your lives and you'll be part of it forever. And as you depart this evening, think of a little inscription on a statue sculpted by a Miami undergraduate, which reads, "To think that in such a place, I led such a life." --Dr. Phillip Shriver in his last Senior Lecture to the Class of 1997

Today I attended a Miami University Alumni Association Networking Luncheon. It was amazing to look around the crowded room of 130 area profesionals, all of whom were Cleveland-area Miami grads. It makes me think about all the connections each one of us make over the course of our lives and the importance of each of these chance encounters. As I continue on this ever changing path of life I reflect on all the amazing people and the memories that will forever be part of my life and wonder just what will the future hold.

Thank you running!

5:20 AM -alarm sounds and already I feel stressed. Another day, so I throw on the workout clothes, hit the bathroom, and head out the door. Not even 6AM and my mind is racing full speed through items on my mind. Work out some aggression on the stationary bike and before I even hit the pool, I am soaking wet. One short swim later and I am in the rush to get to the office.

More stress!

Really don't have time for my lunch time run.

I go for my run anyways because I know I need a break. Frustration races through my mind as I feel the tightness in my lungs. I push harder. Back already?? Fastest time I have ran that course by a long shot. Feel better about one thing anyway!

Time flies when you're having fun!

Birthdays, Burger King Crowns, Cards, Flip Cup, Beer Pong & Lots of Beer = A very good party!

Well the weekend absolutely flew by!

Saturday's road bike update: Saturday was the virgin ride the new bike. As I left the house that morning, the sun was trying to peak out and it was dry, so I figured it should not be too bad of a day for this. As I drove towards Hinkley which is a good 50 minutes away it became rather cloudy and it was somewhat of a snow / sleet mix. After arrival, I did a leisurely 3 mile loop with fellow CTC guy, Brent. Luckily I was not cold at all at this point an even started to sweat a bit. What else is new?

Then as we came into the parking lot after the run, we saw that there were quite a few others who had come out to train. Elizabeth was there and I joined her and we tried to figure out the whole the tire pressure thing and adding some air. I was absolutely no help to her. And then I went to add air to my tires and snapped the valve off...just my luck! I was so thankful to Brian as he had an extra tube I could use. The other CTC people helped change this out real quickly so I took note to watch carefully so next time I will be adequately prepared to do this on my own.

And then we were off on the wet roads. I was happy I had sunglasses on to keep the white stuff out of my eyes. I was trying to figure out how my gears were on my bike because it had been awhile since I had left the store when they went over everything. Liz and I decided to hang back and just do a leisurely ride. All was going OK up until about a mile in. Apparently I was not shifting properly and my chain came off....just great! With no one else really around, I got off and figured this was one I was to handle myself. Without too much difficulty I got the chain back on and caught back up to Liz who had stopped just a little bit up the hill. From there on, it was smooth sailing...about time!

I felt pretty comfortable with everything after the initial troubles and finished the 15 miles on the bike without feeling too tired. We were only lapped by Brent and Lou, so I suppose that is not too bad. I learned from last week to wear more socks so my feet were much better than the prior week and did not ache so horribly as the run started. After the ride, we did a leisurely 3 miles to finish me up for my duathlon full course. Guess I will do this all again come April 9...but hopefully in some warmer tempartures, without the problems, and much faster!

After the ride, I changed in the car (this always gets me for some reason) and I went up to Bike Authority to get my shoes and pedals put on. I realized the reason I was so confused as to the mounting...there were no cleats for my shoes that I had originally took home but Bike Authority got me all squared around. I bought an extra tube for the future so I would have one and one to give back to Brian, who just so happened to be at the store. All in all, a great way to start off a Saturday!

Even Matches made a friend!

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Such team pride comes with flip cup!

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Winning team poses!

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Flip Cup--Preparing those cups!

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The Moore Cousins!

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One week that I am really looking forward to the weekend!

I am so glad it is Friday for several reasons!

Reason 1> Without wanting to say too much, work is really bringing me down.

Reason 2> I am excited because unless we have some crazy random snow that blows in, tomorrow will be the first ride on the road bike. Ok, I know that it is so wrong. I bought the bike in January. We had a couple random decent days that I could have rode it, but somehow I was always busy or it was dark or something! So I am STOKED to finally try this thing out tomorrow. Tomorrow morning is another training out at Hinckley with the Clev Tri Club. I am hoping to do the Hinckley Duathlon course in its entirety so that I will feel confident for the upcoming event on April 9th. So tomorrow, I plan to do a 3 mile run, a 15 mile bike, and then another 3 mile run. I figure I will just try do this at a medium pace.

Reason 3> Party at my house Saturday night! I don't know what it is, but so many of our friends all have March birthdays...so Saturday we are just going to celebrate them all with one kick-arse party! Maybe this party, we will not play flip cup with Harry Buffalo because that made for one helluva mess to clean up...but flip cup with beer is a very probable possibility! How I do love a good party!!!!!! My day off this week will be Sunday...smart planning there I think!!!

With a heavy sigh...

We had big news at work yesterday which was not good. It is not the time or the place to discuss here at this point, but suffice it to say that it is consuming my thoughts. Big sigh.

I skipped the lunchtime run to have lunch with co-workers yesterday and did not get much accomplished all evening. That did not help me to feel any better. Thank goodness I had already had a decent morning workout. Today, I will try a new strategy and try to de-stress a bit with more workouts...especially since they are on the schedule anyways!

I got a short bike ride in this morning as well as a medium distance swim. This week I finally changed the training schedule a bit to fit my prior workout habits so that my long days are now Tuesday, Thursdays, & Saturdays. The Monday, Wednesday, Friday thing was totally not working for me, especially since the longest workout day was Friday when I generally seem to have the least amount of time. This is working out much better.

Lunch time runs

Today started off with a my usual couple hits of the snooze bar and it was then off to the gym. Everyday I set the alarm to go off about a half hour earlier than I usually end up rising just thinking maybe I will get up and get a long morning workout in. I can count on one hand how many times that has happened. I need to be done with my workout every workday no later than 7AM. I usually arrive at the gym at 6AM, but they open at 5:30 (hence the half hour that I am always trying to steal).

Upon my 6 AM arrival I hopped on the stationary bike for a quick workout, changed, and headed to the pool. I am still struggling in the pool. I am putting the laps in on the 15 yard pool (seems like so many with all the turns!), but I am still trying to get the whole breathing thing down without feeling like I am forever trying to catch my breath. I am considering taking some private lessons, but with all the other expenses of getting into the tri sport, I was hoping to hold off on this one. I think I will give it another month or so to evaluate my progress and see what I think then. I have no doubt I can swim the distances, but I know I will be slow and am hoping it does not zap too much of my energy vs. an efficient swimmer.

7AM rolled around and I dashed to shower, got ready, and rushed to work. Everyday is a rush as my office is 32 miles from my gym and I have to be there at 8AM. Thankfully most of the drive is freeway and the traffic is generally not-too-bad.

I typically run everyday on my lunch hour which is just long enough to pick up a 3 or 4 mile run and still have time to change, stretch and shower. Today was one of those morings where after a few hours of work, I started dreading my lunch time run. I had been cold in the office all morning (despite my office heater) and when I looked outside the gloomy clouds were not offering me any motivation. I felt generally tired and as noon passed I just kept procrastinating that run. 12:30 came and I figured I better go or I was going to feel tired all afternoon. In my head I was thinking 'just go do the short 3 mile loop'. As I started my run I was cold. The wind hurt my dry face. However I was happy to be listening to a different playlist on my Ipod. Five minutes or so into my run I started to think about the fact that my legs felt a little better this week and maybe I will go ahead and do the longer course. With each step I seemed to feel a little better and was happy that yet again I had conned myself into going for my run.

Upon my return I had to wait a bit for the shower as someone was in the executive bathroom where we have the shower. So, I killed a minute talking to a friend covering phones. She was saying how it must be a pain to have to wait on other people in that bathroom and all I could think of is that I really did not mind. I felt upbeat after my run and all I could think was that I was just so thankful to have an office with a shower so that I could do these lunch time runs. I find them to be such a great stress relief and a fantastic re-energizing tool to start my afternoons. I say thank goodness for running and its rewards ....and for that office shower which makes it all possible!

Another Monday, another fresh start

As much I dread going back to work on Monday's, I always view it as my chance to re-commit and start fresh back in a normal routine. Inevitably most weekends, it just seems I stay up too late, eat too much, and just feel like my I am being pulled in so many different directions.

Last night after I got home from Joey's cousins 18th birthday party, I just laid on the couch in a food coma. It was a weekend of too many parties and it was as if the sweet taste of too much ice cream, cake, pizza, & other food was just making me nautious. Then this moring, sheer guilt got me out of bed to get my workout in with the hope of trying to get rid of some of those calories. I managed a 6 mile run this morning in under 48 minutes and went directly to the bathroom before stretching and then another 4 miles at lunch time with the same finish (sure is one way to make a couple good runs feel really awful towards the end). When will I learn to moderate the food better on the weekends to prevent these awful stomach and guilt issues I deal with??

So today I start fresh with the hope of staying the healthy course starting today. So far, so good, 1/2 day down!

Excited for my about my new toys....

Well for my birthday I had been planning on putting any birthday money towards shoes and pedals. So yesterday after the Hinckley training session I went up to Bike Authoity and came home with the pictured toys! Shoes & pedals! I am so ready to try these out!

The training session out at Hinckley went well. I took the mountain bike since I knew some others were taking theirs...that was a lot of work. I felt like I was really working to keep up. All & all the riding went well, but I did find myself trying to adjust to what gear I should be in at certain times. That should come with more practice...

Fortunately my hands remained warm on the bike but my toes were extremely cold and really ached. The start of the run was painful due to the aching toes, but shortly after running they started to warm up and I felt great on the run. Incidentally that was the first time I ran directly after biking and my legs actually did not feel too bad! How about that! So it was a nice training session and I really enjoyed getting a chance to talk with some CTC members and see the course!

Uncle Ralph & I making our wishes......

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Twins 1st Cake!

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Expecting twins!

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Lots of random thoughts on my mind...

Ok, so today I am sulking a bit. I am slightly jealous of my cousins and other people who are out celebrating St. Pat's. Perhaps next year....

One reason I decided to work today (and not celebrate with a lot of fine green beer) is I am planning to go to a training session tomorrow morning for the Hinckley Duathlon. I definitely could use some training on what I understand to be a tough course (& my first time with any sort of race that involves a bike).

To be honest I have spent a lot of time on the stationary bike, but that is totally not the same as a real bicycle. I am afraid I will have forgotten how to change gears and might look very inexperienced. I am just hoping to be OK enough as not to hold up the group or really stick out as being bad. Apparently other people in the training group are planning to bring their mountain bikes as opposed to their road bikes on account of the weather. Thankfully since I have been so busy at work, my husband was nice enough to dig my bicycle out of the barn and get it ready to go.

So then last night when I got home from work I spent some time trying to figure out how the whole bike rack mounting went on my car. Yet another new thing to me....it really does feel like there is are so many random little things that keep popping up that I have to try to figure out with this whole tri thing....just runninng races was so much easier!

At any rate after my hubby and I figured out the bike rack, I conned him into riding our bikes around the little block (and it is a little block like a total of 3 minutes around if that). That was enough for me as being outside for that period of time along with a little wind, had my hands just frozen cold. And I even had gloves on! I always get really cold hands and often wonder if there is a circulation issue. At any rate frozen hands is another concern for my tomorrow morning training because I can't wear my huge mittens that I resort to sometimes when I run.

Well hopefully it goes well...stay tuned!

Training this week has been a little flip flopped here and there, but have managed to get everything in except my morning swim today. Perhaps I will try to fit it in sometime this weekend, but this weekend is busy with some birthday festivities....yup, I am getting older Sunday :-(

Strength Training

As I work though this training plan I am trying to get in 3 strength training workouts a week. Typically my plan has been to alternate training the major muscles of the upper and lower body. Typically I would do a descending number of sets with increasing weight and then do one rep of a different exercise using the same muscles (basically I followed a loose version of the Body For Life Weight Lifting Plan).

My goal has always been to fit in 3 a week but often it seems I only get one in and then I generally opt to do upper body. That said, it has been almost three weeks since my last lower body workout. So yesterday after some usual lunges, squats & some other exercises, I am back to the feeling of despising the notion of going down stairs, sitting down, and you get the point. So sore! I am so frustrated with myself as not so long ago I had finally quit getting so sore after these sort of workouts and now I am back there again.

I am happy to report that I am feeling a little bit better after my lunch time run as it loosened things up a bit. I seem to keep dealing with various leg issues (always my darn left leg) and I figure one thing to work on would be to strengthen my legs. So I guess now I will try to work through some of these muscle aches. If anyone has any strength training thoughts or ideas, I am open to any feedback here.

100 Things About Me!

OK...this took longer than I thought it would, but here goes!

100 Things About Me
Since everyone else is doing it, I figured I would give it a go!

1. Born in Ravenna and grew up in Freedom Township (which is in Portage County in Northeast Ohio).
2. I was raised on next to my grandparent’s farm and all of my dad’s brothers.
3. I am German, Irish, & Welsh…incidentally my husband is exactly the same heritage.
4. I have just one sibling, my sister Lisa, who is 16 months younger than me…and she has been my best friend through all the years.
5. We constantly fought over clothes and taking up more than our share of bathroom space.
6. My dad says I was supposed to have been a boy, not really it was just wishful thinking on his behalf, but he got stuck with 2 girls!
7. I look like my dad and my sister looks like my mom….but as we aged sis & I look a lot alike and sound very much the same.
8. My family is very important to me…and luckily all of us on both my mom’s & dad’s side are in Northeast Ohio.
9. Thanks to dad and all male cousins, sis & I grew up as Tomboys playing lots of sports and helping out on the farm.
10. I am not afraid of rats due to experiences in the chicken coup.
11. I get the willies just watching snakes and spiders on tv.
12. I had to stay in the hospital an extra day when I got my tonsils out because I wouldn’t eat b/c it hurt.
13. I hated helping in the garden and now that I live near the Amish produce, I just can’t see the point of doing all that work now.
14. My first memories of sports were ice skating and swimming lessons and then at the start of school I started playing softball and competing in gymnastics.
15. Sis and I loved to entertain with either gymnastics routines we would make up to music or just playing dress up and pretending to be Tina Turner or Robert Palmer with one of his girls dancing on the mantel (or our stage at home).
16. I thought cabbage patch kids were ugly but loved carebears!
17. I was a picky eater and being forced to eat lima beans made me hurl.
18. In middle school I started playing volleyball, basketball, and track.
19. I hated basketball but my parents said once I started something I had to finish it…so I stuck it out and by the time the season ended I decided it was not so bad.
20. I had really, really big hair and wore too much eyeliner.
21. I have spent so much time over my life doing my hair…that ended after college.
22. I am so thankful for starting sports in middle school for so many reasons –a) helped me lose some of my chubbiness b) taught me discipline & not to quit c) gave me confidence d)e)f)…..I could go on with so many more reasons here!
23. Mom made me play in the band…that was 5th grade though 9th grade, played the trumpet and never really liked it.
24. I loved Bonjovi, Aerosmith, and Milli Vanilli (and that lip-synching thing kind of bummed me out.
25. The posters in my bedroom growing up along with all my animal posters were Ralph Macchio, Richard Greico, Johnnny Depp (yep, 21 jumpstreet junkie), and Mary Lou Retton.
26. When I was a freshman I dated a senior …that lasted until after I graduated.
27. I have had three eye-surgeries.
28. My first job was a Kmart cashier and yes sometimes I made very animated announcements regarding blue light special in the deli.
29. Freshman year I had to choose between track and softball which was a tough choice for me…chose track in 9th grade and missed softball so played that grades 10-12.
30. My high school graduating class was 86…but almost half attended the vocational school.
31. I was president of my school’s Spanish club which made my mom, a Spanish teacher at a neighboring school happy. My Spanish is still only so-so.
32. I have been to Mexico 7 times and Canada 3 times….I desperately want to go to Europe still.
33. We partied often in high school and did some crazy country things like mudding and bumper sled riding.
34. Beer grew on me.
35. I am part-camel ….not unusual to sit down at a restaurant and drink 5 pops, 15 waters over the course of a day, & beer goes down the same way.
36. Always have driven a GM car…Olds 84 Cutlass, Olds 86 Tornado, Olds 88 Tornado, 98 Olds Intrigue, and with the disappearance of Olds switched to a 05 Pontiac G6GT.
37. My sis hated me driving to school as I was good with getting to school on time or just a couple minutes late…she needed to be 15 minutes early.
38. Worked as a unit manager –head life guard at Geauga Lake for 3 incredibly fun summers!
39. Got my first and only stitches working as a life guard when I tried to hurdle a chain unsuccessfully and landed on my chin.
40. As a Geauga Lake employee I kept a busy social life outside those long working hours…with midnight softball Monday & Wednesday nights, Tues Geauga Lake / Seaworld night at the bar …and all kinds of the fun stuff.
41. Never had to work very hard in high school and somehow graduated as Salutatorian.
42. I am more of a math & science person
43. I am a very laid back person, although I have trouble sitting still often times.
44. I went to Miami University and majored in Microbiology for a year.
45. After a disappointing freshman year of grades I switched to business…this was hard for me as I had always done so well in high school.
46. I loved the social part of college and felt lucky to meet so many wonderful friends!
47. My house that I lived in down at college was called The Drinking Fountain.
48. I love theme parties!
49. I hate alarm clocks…especially when 4 girls sleep in one room and they seem to endlessly go off.
50. Flip cup is a great game.
51. Perhaps it is not a good idea to get a tattoo on college spring break
52. As my reward for completing an Olympic tri this year I am planning on covering up my not so cool tat, with a good one!
53. I still love volleyball…played Club & Intramurals in College and recreational adult leagues more recently.
54. I loved my job at Miami’s Rec center & the Rec Center itself.
55. Thought about moving to Chicago, but had a job offer in Cleveland.
56. Graduated with a double major in business; Finance & Marketing
57. Decided over a beer and some random race on tv at a restaurant to do a marathon with a friend.
58. Did my first marathon, Columbus in Oct 98…Approximately 4 hours, 40 minutes.
59. I feel so fortunate for my Miami experience.
60. Switched jobs three times within a year and a half after graduation.
61. I dated someone for too long which I am not sure why we dated in the first place.
62. I have worked at my present job with an investment advisor for almost 6 years and utilize both my Finance & Marketing majors.
63. I keep putting off the GMAT but I really want to start my MBA.
64. I love my golden retriever, Matches, and my Shiba Inu (who lives with my parents, Dakota!
65. I still want a cat and am working on my husband about this.
66. I really enjoy going out to eat…too much!
67. I have attended a lot of concerts….first two concerts I attended with my folks were Chicago and the Beachboys.
68. Concerts I went to more recently have included Ozzfest, Warp Tour, Disturbed, Sum 41, Nine Inch Nails, Korn, Crystal Method, 311, Blink 182.
69. I lived with my husband to be, my cousin, and her boyfriend in a wild & fun apartment.
70. Dressed up as the cast of Scooby Do to go see the movie.
71. Married someone from my high school two years classes below me… we did not know each other well in school.
72. I moved back out to the area I was brought up and love having space.
73. I have my own motorcycle….it is a red Ducati Monster...(there in stems the Duc part of DaisyDuc!)
74. Sometimes I am afraid I will lose my hearing because I forever listen to music loud.
75. I live in a home that was built in 1810.
76. We have spent endless hours remodeling above home…and put on a kick-arse deck!
77. I ran first race since college for a fundraiser in association with a work colleague in 2003 and have since started doing road races.
78. Now I enjoy trying to get other work colleagues to run!
79. Road races I have done range from 5K’s to ½ marathons.
80. 2006 marks the year I start doing triathlons.
81. I love playing games such as ping-pong, pool, darts and foosball!
82. I am the realist of our finances and my husband is the dreamer.
83. Despite being somewhat fair-skinned I can get pretty tan…but prefer to get tan the old fashioned way.
84. I have always had to work watch my weight.
85. I feel like I am the only one who works real business hours which is much more than everyone else I am around
86. I am an ice-cream junkie
87. Some bikers ride to bars… we ride to various ice cream establishments! Mmmm, Coldstone Creamery!
88. I love all accessories…especially sunglasses.
89. I wish I was a better swimmer, but I am working on that!
90. I am desperately trying to become focused on achieving my goals.
91. I am so excited to be an aunt!
92. Perhaps someday I will have children of my own, but am in no big rush.
93. I think of myself as one of those people who are OK at a lot of things, but not great at any one thing in particular.
94. I enjoy feeling challenged at work.
95. I love pictures!
96. I think maybe someday I will do another marathon and a half ironman
97. I hate not having a bathroom upstairs because I always have to go in the middle of the night.
98. There are so many days that I don’t feel like working out…but do anyways & ¾’s of the time feel better afterwards.
99. I desire to get more out of my professional & personal life and am willing to work hard to achieve this.
100. I believe I can do anything I set my mind to do

If only the weekends were longer!

Time went by way too fast over the weekend, as usual!

And now the update on St. Malachi- The day started off great with beautiful sunshine and above average temperatures. My friend Rachelle and her folks had followed me up to the race. Upon picking up our packets and returning to the vehicles we found TriSaraTops jumping out of her folks vehicle. So we all had some time to catch up. Sara and I cheeered on her mom and Rachelle during the 2 mile race. They both did a great job!

As the start approached for the 5 mile race I decided at the last minute to just go with the tank top and shorts (as oppposed to the long sleeve shirt I had thought about wearing) which was a good idea. Mile 1, had some downhill and finished 6:44 with a lot of adrenaline. Mile 2, had to slow down a bit as I was nervous that when I start the fast for the 5K's I am totally spent by mile 2. Mile 3, feeling a little weak going up the one hill but once I got to the top there was a nice decline and began to feel stronger again. Skipped the water stop. Mile 4, felt fine could have went faster but wanted to save some. Mile 5, still feeling good with some loud music pumping me up even more and around to the final hill, I was on a mission to get up it and of course not let anyone beat me at the end. (Notoriously, I lose a few positions within the last 200 yards of races. Finished strong with a time of 37:35 which is not far from my last 5K pace.

It was still not good enough for a top 3 age group finish as I was 5th, bummer! However,I did stop to think how far I have come. In 2004, I finished the St. Malachi Race in a leisurely 50:08 at 10:02/M pace, in 2005 I finished in 41:20 at 8:16, and 2006 in 37:35 at 7:31/M pace. And now my goal is to keep working to make gains in my times and distances in the future.

After the race, had a chance to catch up with Sara and Su who ran together who were running the race for training and then headed over the Flat Iron for that beer I was thirsty for!

Time to enjoy my surroundings!

What a wonderful feeling Friday is, especially whe we are supposed to have some decent weather!

This weekend I plan to hit some of the wonderful things Northeast Ohio has to offer. First off tonight we are going with my husband's family to an Amish Wedding Feast about 2 miles from our house. It is essentially a fundraiser for the Amish (last time the reason was a man had lost his wife and needed help in raising the kids) in which generally between 200-400 people attend and they serve all kinds of comfort foods such as baked chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy, creamed peas, pies, and date nut pudding. Last time we went to one they also had a silent auction in which you could bid on all kinds of stuff including quilts, furniture, etc. So hopefully I can enjoy the festivities without blowing the diet I have been sticking with this week.

Saturday will start off with the Saint Malachi 5 Mile Run. I always enjoy that race and the Irish spirit throughout the crowd. I will be sure to add some Dropkick Murphy's to tomorrow's race playlist for my Ipod and will have to enjoy a beer afterwards for the Irish heritage in me! I am also really excited to cheer my friend Rachelle on, who is doing her first race ever tomorrow!

Then in the afternoon it is time to break out the motorcycles! Unfortunately Ladybug (my red Ducati Monster 620) is tore apart waiting for some paint so I will have to ride on the back of my husband's bike. (and I thought those days were over!) Perhaps with me on back, that crazy riding husband of mine in the above picture will have to slow down for a day...well maybe at least a little bit. Oh well, it will still be fun to meet up with friends and we will probably ride through the Valley out in Cuyahoga Falls/Bath/Hinkley area which is always so pretty.

Then Sunday if I can get lucky with the weather I have a route mapped out for my new bicycle's maiden voyage. I am thinking about doing a 25 mile trip which may include a pitstop along the route at my dentist's farm. My dentist's farm is a part of the 2006 Maple Madness Sweet Weekend where they are doing tours of the sugar houses and he also has his barn set up with a bunch of historical items. At this point I am not sure if this stop will work out for me or not...but maybe????

Sorry aerobics instructor...

First off....I can't wait to put my shorts on in 2 hours for my lunch time run!!!

So this week started a new chapter in my training. I started a 20 week training program for my Olympic tri. I am trying to buckle down and focus my efforts on the areas that are going to be important. In trying to fit in all the training I decided to scrap the 6AM aerobics / kickboxing classes that I have been doing on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I feel bad because usually there is only three regulars and some other random drop-ins that come to the classes and she is forever wishing for more people in class. So I do feel a little guilty, but I must remember my priorities.

Week to date, have completed all scheduled workouts plus some and ate healthy (which is a true accomplishment!). WTD Total Time (8.5 hours): Run 28 Mi, Bike 34 Mi, Swim 1650 yds, Core 1.5 hours.

Random facts...

Random fact one:
So I was born and raised out near Garrrettsville (Portage County) where I went to school. As high school graduation approached, my parents said I could go to any college I wanted as long as it was a public one in Ohio (liars! :-)), so I chose Miami University. Upon graduation, I moved to North Royalton for a year, Parma for a year, Shaker Hts. for a year, back home for 5 months, Stow for a year, Stow-Kent for a year plus and finally bought a place in Parkman (incidentally the next town north of Garrettsville). On a side note I am so happy to be done moving for awhile!

Random fact two:
I am total freeze baby. I am forever cold. The minute I walk into my office at work I turn on my heater for the day. My husband teases me relentlessly when we go motorcycle riding in cool weather and I wear so many layers that I can barely move. I rarely lay on the couch without a blanket. In college, any warm sunny day was a good enough reason to skip class.

And the point is, I have been confined to Ohio my entire life and have come to accept that for a number of reasons I will live here for many more years to come. That said, I am not at all a fan of the winters here due to the cold and dark. However winter in Northeast Ohio really helps me to truly appreciate the wonderful weather that is to about come, and soon!

Fantastic news and some updates!

To lead off, the news I have been so excited about...my sister and husband are expecting..........TWINS! I am so very, very excited for both of them! They have been hoping for a baby for awhile and now they are getting two!!! Here is a picture of them at my wedding last year. They were married back on August 4, 2001 which is also my folk's anniversary and Lisa's birthday! For those of you who may not know, my sister, Lisa, is my only sister and I can not imagine having a better sister than her! Lisa was born 16 months after me and we were a class apart in school with many of the same friends, played the same sports, watched the same tv shows, and listened to the same music. We have always been close through the years. Her husband, Ron, is a wonderful guy and the two of them seem to balance each other out in all the right ways and I am sure they will make awesome parents! ....and I will make a great aunt!!!:-)

Moving along to the half marathon...I did not get my target time that I logged last week. But then again, I had not realized this course was one of the hilliest half-marathons around. Perhaps it was time to re-evaluate my goal! Fortunately I ended up running the course with Su, which was awesome because we seemed to carry a similiar pace and it was so nice to pass the time with her. I think it is safe to say that was the hilliest course I have ever run and we were pleased to finish under two hours!

I am happy to report that my left leg which had been hurting me so much recently did not hurt too bad afterwards . On Saturday, I was totally hooked up by Second Sole on a pair of new running shoes which I broke in that race so I am thinking perhaps a good portion of my issues were stemming from my wore out shoes I had been wearing. Lastly I had intended to say good-bye to my running buds out there Sunday before I took off but I left when my head just started to ache horribly. So sorry I missed ya, and it was great to see everyone! That darn headache was a whopper and persisted throughout the entire day but thankfully after some rest, all things feel pretty good today!

Great news on my aunt! She is home and feeling better. She had given us all quite a scare but after many tests, it turns out a random blood vessel she has had since birth had burst in her brain. From what I understand they were able to take care of it and she is completely fine now. I find it so strange and scary with the random things that come up with our health. We are so thankful that she is better!

Lastly, keeping good on starting 20 week training program today!

Running with Su!

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Say 'I going for my walk!'

  Even managed to take my lil buddy for his walk when I got home. Good thing he pulled me up the hills because I needed the help! 

Random thoughts....

Random fact of the day....

March 3
Q: Did you know there was once a goldfish-eating fad among college kids?

A: It started on this day in 1939, when a Harvard University student named Lothrop Withington, Jr., swallowed a 4-inch goldfish on a bet. This extremely gross event was written about in the Boston newspapers and led to a new college campus craze.

Well I suppose it could be said that people do some really random things in college. I can think of many stupid things we did on the fine campus of Miami University which I can't imagine doing now including bush diving (perhaps TriSaraTops has scars to prove it??), rubbing the turtles heads, playing in the mud, singing & dancing after dinner, and some really wild parties! Aghh, good times, fun stories, and treasured memories!

And then we grow up or at least a little bit and I ponder what my exciting weekend will entail now. I am thinking 1) help husband tile the surround of the bathroom 2)a whole lotta laundry & cleaning 3) try to get some reading done 4a) go to bed early Saturday night so 4b) I can get up early Sunday to run a half marathon. Exciting stuff!

Moving right along to thinking about Sunday's half marathon. I am a bit nervous because my last two halfs (Cleveland Clinic River Run & Buckeye Half) last year which I ran back to back weekends, I was fortunate enough to have my friend, Bob to run with. The motivation and constant chatter he provides during these long ones (long for me anyways!) has always helped immensely! So this one I am on my own or at least until I meet so new running pal out there on the course. I am debating at the moment whether to wear headphones or not and hope to find someone else to pass the time with. Thinking in terms of time, my time for the Clev Clinic RR was 1:57:03 and the hillier course a week later at the Buckeye Half was 1:53:42...perhaps for this week's half in Youngstown I set an expectation of finishing under 9 minute miles (under 1:58) but shoot to finish in under 8.5 minute miles. So my goal will be to finish under 1:51:30. I think that goal is realistic but will still probably be one heck of a challenge...not quite the speed racer some of you out there are!

Today feeling better as I have been cutting back on the runs yesterday, this morning and plan to tomorrow as well. Also have been trying to ice here and there. Today I was happy to actually know I swam 600 yards at the pool. Clearly not a long distance but in our 15 yard pool at the gym, I usually lose count before then...so I am trying to concentrate in the pool a little more.

No news yet on my Aunt, still sending her my prayers....and on a totally different subject, I will some truly wonderful news to share (finally) next week!

Thinking of you!

 

This morning when I came to work I had a message from my dad about my Aunt Shirlyn. Apprarently she was rushed to the hospital last night. They are running tests and there is very little that I know. A couple years ago she had a very serious case of leukemia. She went through all the radiation and chemo but never could get her counts high enough to get the bone marrow transfer. She even continued to teach throughout all this when she was very weak. She has fought hard and even the medical staff believes her recovery has been astounding. Within the last month she received a clean bill of health and we are all thankful. It is unfortunate that yet another thing has come up for my Aunt Shirlyn and my thoughts are with her today. 

Quantity does not equal quality........

I think this is one thing I may need to start to think about as I limp around today. This week I just feel exhausted and I am beginning to think all of this training may be doing more harm than good. I think often times my training is somewhat unfocused and not nescessarily quality time spent and I just make sure I put my time in. Since Sunday I have put in 7 hrs, 45 min and covered 22.5 miles running, 10 miles stationary bike, and 3 hrs 35 min in aerobics/strenth training. However, I know I really need to start to concentrate on areas (clearly swimming or actually riding a real bike) which would really benefit from some time spent as opposed to just the same ole, same ole that I continually try to pound out.

Furthermore my left leg hurts to the point that I wince when I put all my weight on it to put a sock on my other foot, let alone when I run, and even worse right after I stop running. Guess that is a problem! I have been complaining about this issue for well over a month now and apparently it just is not going to go away on its own...bummer! I think I will build in a few easy days here before Sunday's 1/2 marathon and try to ice as much as possible. I have no idea why icing is not that hard and I constantly think I should be doing it, but rarely bother.

So in thinking about these various things, I must say that I am excited that next Monday (3/6) I will be officially starting a 20 week training program for my olympic triathlon. I am going to try to force myself to at least complete what is on the schedule if for nothing else, than to force myself to do things a little differently and hopefully achieve some better results.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein